Free articles Archives - Page 2 of 11

9 Reasons You Should Grow Cosmos Flowers

Cosmos flowers (Cosmos bipinnatus or Mexican aster) are showy annual flowers that offer you SO many benefits. If you’ve never grown these ornamental beauties, you may be surprised how useful these cheerful flowers can be.

Cosmos Flowers

Cosmos is a member of the Compositae or Asteraceae family, just like their ‘cousins’: sunflowers, marigolds, yarrow, daisies, zinnias, lettuce and dandelions.

These easy care flowers are perfect for a full sun position in your garden or a pot, growing through spring to autumn.

Not surprisingly, the name Cosmos comes from the Greek word ‘kosmos’ which means ‘beautiful’. Aww! These flowers come in many colours and grow tall with attractive feathery leaves. I encourage you to find a pot or tiny space to sow a few seeds.

“Texture and foliage keep a garden interesting through the season. Flowers are just moments of gratification.” – Kevin Doyle

So why grow these beautiful blooms?

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-09-07T08:34:24+00:00Categories: Colour & Fragrance|Tags: Beautiful gardens, Bees & Pollination, Companion plants, Cosmos, Flowers, seeds & seed saving|5 Comments

Best Tips for Growing Root Crops

Do you love digging for hidden treasures in your soil, but sometimes feel disappointed in your harvest? If so, these tips should help make growing root crops much easier and more successful.

Discovering an edible surprise is a bit like unwrapping a present, isn’t it? You get that feeling of anticipation as you unearth a handful of potatoes or pull up a bunch of crunchy carrots. Then you start dreaming up how you’re going to enjoy eating those tasty homegrown crops.

So let’s dig into some juicy tips on ways to get more of these delicious vegies and spices on your plate. (more…)

Anne Gibson2018-05-15T07:29:13+00:00Categories: Grow Your Own Food, Tips & Tricks, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: Moon calendar, Moon gardening, Moon planting, Root crops, Root vegetables, Safe food gardening, Tips and tricks|0 Comments

Is PVC Plastic Safe to Use in an Organic Garden?

Are you growing food? Are you concerned about your health, avoiding chemicals and eating safe produce? Me too! Over the years, I’ve been asked many times whether PVC plastic (Polyvinyl Chloride) is safe and has a place in a food garden. You may have wondered too.

We live in a world filled with plastics and some are more harmful to our health and environment than others.

There are all sorts of uses gardeners find for PVC tubes including irrigation pipes, in wicking beds, worm farms, compost systems, rain gutter gardens and vertical tower planters. It’s understandable. PVC is cheap, widely available and an easy solution. It’s commonly used in landscaping, aquaponics, hydroponics, garden gloves and hoses too.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-05-15T07:46:43+00:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Problem Solving|Tags: Chemicals, Plastic, PVC, Safe gardening|0 Comments

5 Reasons to Grow Sunflowers

Why grow sunflowers? There are many benefits to growing these beautiful blooms including their cut flowers and free edible seeds. They also attract pest-patrolling birds and bees to improve your harvest, and even help detox contaminated soil. These flowers are not just pretty faces!

The botanical name for sunflowers is ‘Helianthus’ – ‘Helia’ meaning sun and ‘Anthus’ for flower. Sunflowers are called ‘tournesol’ in French (meaning ‘turns with the sun’). Curious to learn how to use these cheerful flowers to advantage in your garden? Read on…

5 Reasons to Grow Sunflowers

1. Feed your Pollinators

The showy large outer petals help attract many species of bees to your sunflowers including honey bees and bumble bees. The centre of the sunflower houses hundreds and thousands of tiny individual florets that contain nectar and pollen, a food source for bees.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-09-07T08:38:57+00:00Categories: Colour & Fragrance, How to Grow|Tags: Bees & Pollination, Contaminated Soil, Flowers, pollinators, Safe seeds, seeds & seed saving, Sunflowers|0 Comments

How to Use Compost and 7 Benefits of Composting

Do you have problems with your plant and soil health? If so, compost may be one of your greatest ‘assets’ to help you resolve these issues.

In this article, discover:

What compost and composting are;
7 benefits of using compost;
Why composting is vital for every garden; and
4 easy ways you can use compost to grow healthier plants and more nutrient-dense food.

What IS Compost?

Compost is simply decomposed or decayed organic matter, created during the process of composting.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-04-19T05:25:14+00:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Mini Compost Systems|Tags: Compost, Fertilisers, Mulch, Problem Solving, Soil|3 Comments

7 Sustainable Garden Design Tips

Want a productive, edible and sustainable garden? One that nourishes you with healing delicious foods? Growing your own organic food garden is one easy way to live more sustainably and tread lighter on the planet.

When you ‘shop’ for fresh ingredients from your garden, you save time and energy. Home gardeners don’t need to use huge amounts of precious water, toxic petrochemical fertilisers, expensive fuel, transport, tonnes of material and lots of land. Designed cleverly, a small sustainable garden avoids wasting resources and minimises the impact on the environment.

I believe being ‘sustainable’ is a lifestyle that helps sustain you physically and provides you with short and long-term benefits. Being a sustainable gardener is about making conscious choices about the actions you take and the resources you use. Giving back to the earth and not just taking from it.

Recycling food waste back into the garden is a sustainable practice

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-09-07T09:18:14+00:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design|Tags: clever, Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, seeds & seed saving, Soil, Sustainable gardening, tips & tricks, watering|4 Comments

Choosing Fruit Trees for Small Gardens

Thinking about growing your own fruit trees? No matter how little space you have, there’s almost always room for at least one fruit tree.

The taste and satisfaction of picking homegrown fruit is one of life’s pleasures!

5 Tips for Fruit Trees in Small Gardens

I grow a LOT of fruit trees in a small space. Some in containers, others in the garden. It’s highly productive and I grow kilos of fruit every year. Some fruit trees are young and on their way to producing. Others are putting food on the table regularly!

Here, I grow a lot of tropical fruit trees like bananas, papaya, mango, mulberries, citrus and peaches. It takes time to get to know each fruit and how much space they require to be productive.

It can be overwhelming if you’re just starting out growing fruit trees, so I hope these tips help you avoid expensive mistakes.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-09-07T09:19:37+00:00Categories: Fruit Trees, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Grow Your Own Food|Tags: Container gardening, Fruit trees, grow your own food, small garden design, Small kitchen garden|0 Comments

3 Tips on Growing Peas and Beans

Do you love the crisp sweet crunch of young peas and beans? These easy-to-grow crops are perfect for all gardeners in small urban spaces. In pots, plots or garden beds!

How do you get the highest yield from your peas and beans, especially if you have limited space?

These are tips I use to grow healthy pea and bean plants that produce an abundant harvest. I hope they help you too.

3 Tips for Growing Peas and Beans

1. Healthy Soil and Fertilising

Peas and beans both prefer well drained, moist soils, with plenty of organic matter and a soil pH 6.0-7.5.
You can make your own potting mix like I do, or improve your soil with compost and worm castings if you have them. I also add minerals and mulch. Click here for tips on preparing your soil for planting.
Every couple of weeks apply a liquid fertiliser such as seaweed, fish emulsion or diluted worm casting concentrate to boost growth.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-09-07T09:20:47+00:00Categories: Blog, How to Grow, Tips & Tricks|Tags: Beans, Companion planting, Peas, Succession Planting, tips & tricks|0 Comments

New Season Garden Planting Tips

Have you ever experienced unhealthy plants? A poor harvest … or worse, no harvest at all? This may be due to a lack of preparation. Before planting, is the ideal time to prepare and reinvigorate your soil to avoid disappointment.

Creating healthy soil is one of the key factors to focus on before you begin planting. It’s unlikely plants will grow well in ‘dead dirt’!

“Organic matter, nutrients, moisture and an active microbe population are important elements to add to your soil.” – Anne Gibson

So let’s take a look at some tips and simple ways to prepare your garden for planting and using your space wisely.

Garden Planting Tips

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-09-07T09:23:07+00:00Categories: Blog, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design|Tags: Chickens, Compost, Green manure, Nasturtiums, Pest management, planting, Soil, Vertical gardens|3 Comments

How to Plant, Grow, Use and Harvest Basil

Why Grow Basil?

As a gardener and cook, I couldn’t bear to have a garden without Basil. This fragrant herb is not only grown for its flavour but also its many health benefits. I use it in our kitchen as much for its delicious taste as I do for its medicinal properties. Interested in growing basil? Try it in a pot, garden or on your kitchen bench as sprouts or microgreens. Every year, I allocate ‘prime real estate’ space to basil in pots, as well as around my garden. Read on for how you can use this versatile herb.

Basil Varieties – Which Basil should you Grow?

Basil (Ocimum Basilicum) is a member of the Mint family (Lamiaceae). Like its mint ‘cousins’, basil comes in a large range of aromatic varieties, with flavours to please even the fussiest taste buds. Annual varieties will last you a season and then provide you with free seeds. Perennial cultivars last much longer and are even better value. Here are a few suggestions:

Sweet Basil and Genovese are two of the most popular basil choices for pesto as they have mild sweet flavours.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2018-09-07T09:25:00+00:00Categories: Grow Your Own Food, Herb Gardens, How to Grow, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: Basil, Herbs, how to grow, vegetable & herb gardens|2 Comments

Previous 123 Next